Steve Howe (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Stephen James "Steve" Howe (born 8 April 1947 in Holloway
, North London
, England) is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock
group Yes
. He has also been a member of The Syndicats, Bodast
, Tomorrow
, Asia
and GTR
, as well as having released 17 solo albums as of September 2009.
music on 78 rpm records. He cites several influences from his parents' record collection including Les Paul
and the singer Tennessee Ernie Ford
who had Speedy West
and Jimmy Bryant
playing guitar. In addition, Howe listened to classical guitar
and jazz
, citing Barney Kessel
as a primary influence, "his playing was a remarkable mixture of 'single line' and 'chords', ya know, which inspired me to believe that any guitarist who doesn't understand chords won't be able to play much in the single line because they relate so much". Howe also credited Chet Atkins
, whom he first heard in 1959, as a major inspiration. Howe said he took from Atkins, "the idea that one guitarist could play any kind of guitar style."
D, in 1964. About this guitar, Howe said: "No one was playing archtop, hollowbody guitars in a rock band. People laughed at me and thought I was really snooty. To me, it was an object of art, it wasn't just a guitar." He made his first recording, Chuck Berry
's "Maybellene
", in 1964 with The Syndicats
, who were produced by Joe Meek
. He and other members of Tomorrow
took part in a pie fight in the 1967 comedy about Mods in London, Smashing Time
, starring Rita Tushingham
, Lynn Redgrave
, and Michael York
. In 1968, he recorded albums with both Tomorrow
(initially called The In Crowd) and Bodast
.
Howe declined offers from both The Nice
and Jethro Tull
while waiting for a record deal to materialise for Bodast, but the group's prospective label went bankrupt. He was then approached by the members of Yes
as a possible replacement for Peter Banks
, who had appeared on the group's first two albums.
, which was released in August, although it was Banks who had actually played on the recording.
Beginning with The Yes Album
, Howe's electric and acoustic guitars, combined with Jon Anderson
's vocals, Chris Squire
's bass, and Tony Kaye
's keyboards were seen as an essential part of the band's early sound. The addition of Rick Wakeman
after the departure of Tony Kaye for the following album, Fragile
, created the classic Yes sound of Anderson-Howe-Squire-Bruford-Wakeman associated with the peak of the band's early achievements. To his already-formidable assortment of electric and acoustic guitar sounds, Howe added a unique prog-rock approach to pedal steel guitar
in the next album, Close to the Edge. His classical along with his penchant for ongoing experimentation, helped produce a playing style unique among rock musicians, while the group as a whole took a position as a leading progressive rock
band.
Although the band underwent some personnel changes in the 1970s, Howe, Anderson, and Squire were the constant elements for the entire decade. In early 1980, however, Anderson and Wakeman left the group and were replaced a few weeks later by Trevor Horn
and Geoff Downes
. This second departure of Rick Wakeman was particularly difficult for Howe, who believed the two produced their best work while they were together. Howe continued with the band until Yes officially split up on 18 April 1981, only to see the band re-form in 1983 with Trevor Rabin
on guitar. Over the next few years, Howe contributed to several albums produced by Horn for other artists (including Frankie Goes to Hollywood
and Propaganda
).
In 1988, Jon Anderson asked Howe, Wakeman, and Bill Bruford
if they could take part in his next project. Howe contributed several song ideas to the eventual Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
album. The new quartet was virtually the Close To The Edge Yes line-up reformed, leading to minor legal battles over ownership of the name "Yes". Eventually, under pressure from both management and label, they all joined forces with the members of the "official" Yes (which still included Anderson
, plus Tony Kaye
, Trevor Rabin
, Chris Squire
and Alan White
) as a "mega-Yes" lineup to record the album, Union, which was released in 1991. In 1993, Howe performed guitar parts on and co-produced the Symphonic Music of Yes
album of orchestral arrangements of classic Yes tracks, and then left the band after the Victory Music label left him out of an invitation to participate in the studio sessions that would lead to their next album.
In 1991, he contributed a flamenco
inspired guitar solo to the epic Queen
song Innuendo, which would be featured on the album of the same name
.
Howe rejoined Yes in 1995. Since Keys to Ascension
, Howe has again appeared on all the albums recorded by Yes.
magazine five years in a row (1977–1981) and was inducted into Guitar Player's "Gallery of Greats" in 1981. The only other two guitarists to win the "Best Overall Guitarist" category for the "Gallery Of Greats" are Steve Morse
and Eric Johnson
.
Gibson Guitar Corporation
, the maker of Howe's second electric guitar (which he was still playing forty years later), said that Howe "elevated rock guitar into an art form" and "helped define a new style of music known as art rock
." In a tribute to Howe and his personal favourite ES-175
guitar, Gibson produced a Steve Howe Signature ES-175 in 2002.
Rolling Stone ranked him number sixty-nine on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time in 2003.
The Yes Album had the first live version of Clap, a heavily syncopated guitar Rondo
with roots in Ragtime
, and Country Blues
. Clap is a song that mutated with subsequent live performances while always retaining some of the distinctive themes. Mood for a Day first appeared as a studio performance on Fragile and later on the triple live album Yessongs
. Mood for a Day
has its roots in Flamenco
/classical
guitar music.
's John Wetton
, Carl Palmer
of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
, and Geoff Downes of The Buggles
formed the band Asia
, but after two popular albums and a few hit singles, Howe left the band over differences with Wetton.
When Geoff Downes
reformed Asia in 1992, Steve returned to play guitar on Aqua playing on 6 of the album's 13 tracks and co-writing seven with Downes and John Payne
, as well as playing on their Aqua Club tour as a special guest. In 1996 he played on a song called Ginger meant for Arena
, which was released on Archiva Vol. 1
later that year. He also played on two of the songs from Aura
, released in 2001.
Some disagreements have since been reconciled as Wetton embraced sobriety and a new found appreciation for life, and Howe rejoined the other three founding members in a 25th anniversary reunion tour in late 2006. Since that time Asia have released a DVD called Fantasia and also released a new CD of music called Phoenix
in April of '08. In early 2010 the band released their second reunion CD, Omega
. The four original members of ASIA have now been together longer than during the original incarnation of the early eighties.
with ex-Genesis
guitarist Steve Hackett
. Their only album, GTR
, went gold, but Hackett's interest in pursuing solo projects spelled the end of the group. The group also disagreed about how the band's revenues should be split.
, his first solo album. It featured Yes band members Alan White, Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz
and reached number 63 in the US and number 22 in the UK charts.
His second album as a soloist, The Steve Howe Album
, was released in November, 1979. Howe played alone on half of the tracks, while others again feature White, Bruford and Moraz, along with vocalist Claire Hamill
. Since 1991, Howe has released a solo recording almost every year, ranging from acoustic to progressive to a Bob Dylan
tribute. In 2001 was released Natural Timbre
, exclusively with acoustic guitars. His son Dylan
, now a respected jazz
musician, played the drums on his 1998 all-instrumental solo release, Quantum Guitar, while Elements, released in 2003, featured both Dylan and Howe's younger son Virgil
(keyboards and vocals), as part of a project called Remedy.
Howe's personal web site, Guitar Rondo, was launched in May, 1996. The guitarist takes an active role in the site by conducting auctions for gold albums and selected guitars, and answering questions from fans.
On 24 May 1996 Howe received an honorary Doctorate in Musical Arts (DMA) from Five Towns College
in Dix Hills, New York
.
In 2007, Howe founded the Steve Howe Trio
, a jazz band completed by his son Dylan on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ.
Steve Howe and his wife Janet have two sons, Dylan Howe
and Virgil Howe
, and two daughters, Stephanie and Georgia. They also have two daughters-in-law, Jen Dawson
, married to Virgil, and Zoe Street Howe, married to Dylan.
, Chet Atkins
, Kenny Burrell
, George Harrison
, Bob Dylan
, Les Paul
, Speedy West
and
Jimmy Bryant
.
Holloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, England) is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
. He has also been a member of The Syndicats, Bodast
Bodast
Bodast were a late 1960s rock group from London. Its most famous member was Steve Howe, later to join Yes.The group recorded an album in 1968. Their label Tetragrammaton Records had success in the United States with Deep Purple, but went out of business just before scheduling a release date for...
, Tomorrow
Tomorrow (band)
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
, Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
and GTR
GTR (band)
GTR were a rock band founded in 1985 by former Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. In comparison to the two leaders' earlier work within progressive rock, GTR's work followed more of an Adult Oriented Rock format. The band was short-lived, lasting for two...
, as well as having released 17 solo albums as of September 2009.
Early influences
Howe was the youngest of four children who grew up in a musical household listening to brass bandBrass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
music on 78 rpm records. He cites several influences from his parents' record collection including Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
and the singer Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
who had Speedy West
Speedy West
Wesley Webb West , better known as Speedy West, was an American pedal steel guitarist and record producer. He frequently played with Jimmy Bryant, both in their own duo and as part of the regular Capitol Records backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford and many others...
and Jimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant was a prominent American session guitarist. He was billed as "The Fastest Guitar in the Country".-Biography:Ivy J. Bryant, Jr. was born in Moultrie, Georgia, the oldest of 12 children...
playing guitar. In addition, Howe listened to classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, citing Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
as a primary influence, "his playing was a remarkable mixture of 'single line' and 'chords', ya know, which inspired me to believe that any guitarist who doesn't understand chords won't be able to play much in the single line because they relate so much". Howe also credited Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, whom he first heard in 1959, as a major inspiration. Howe said he took from Atkins, "the idea that one guitarist could play any kind of guitar style."
Early career
He received his first guitar, an f-hole acoustic, as a Christmas present from his parents at age 12 and eventually began playing in local halls. He bought his first electric guitar, a solid body Guyatone, around 1961, and one of the guitars he is most identified with, a Gibson ES-175Gibson ES-175
The Gibson ES-175 is an electric guitar manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, currently still in production. It is a 24 3/4" scale full hollow body guitar with a trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge...
D, in 1964. About this guitar, Howe said: "No one was playing archtop, hollowbody guitars in a rock band. People laughed at me and thought I was really snooty. To me, it was an object of art, it wasn't just a guitar." He made his first recording, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's "Maybellene
Maybellene
"Maybellene" is a song recorded by Chuck Berry, adapted from the traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red" that tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance. It was released in July 1955 as a single on Chess Records of Chicago, Illinois. It was Berry's first single release and his first hit...
", in 1964 with The Syndicats
The Syndicats
The Syndicats were an English group, who were Steve Howe's first band. Their three singles on Columbia were produced by Joe Meek. When lead guitarist Howe left for Tomorrow in 1965, he was replaced by Ray Fenwick. Fenwick played lead guitar on the band's most famous song "Crawdaddy Simone"...
, who were produced by Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
. He and other members of Tomorrow
Tomorrow (band)
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
took part in a pie fight in the 1967 comedy about Mods in London, Smashing Time
Smashing Time
Smashing Time is a 1967 British comedy film starring Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave. It is a satire on the 1960s media-influenced phenomenon of Swinging London.It was written by George Melly and directed by Desmond Davis...
, starring Rita Tushingham
Rita Tushingham
-Career:Born in Liverpool, Tushingham began her career as a stage actress at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her screen debut was in A Taste of Honey...
, Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
, and Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
. In 1968, he recorded albums with both Tomorrow
Tomorrow (band)
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
(initially called The In Crowd) and Bodast
Bodast
Bodast were a late 1960s rock group from London. Its most famous member was Steve Howe, later to join Yes.The group recorded an album in 1968. Their label Tetragrammaton Records had success in the United States with Deep Purple, but went out of business just before scheduling a release date for...
.
Howe declined offers from both The Nice
The Nice
The Nice were an English progressive rock band from the 1960s, known for their blend of rock, jazz and classical music. Their debut album, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in 1967 to immediate acclaim. It is often considered the first progressive rock album...
and Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
while waiting for a record deal to materialise for Bodast, but the group's prospective label went bankrupt. He was then approached by the members of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
as a possible replacement for Peter Banks
Peter Banks
Peter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
, who had appeared on the group's first two albums.
Changing Yes lineup
In April 1970, Howe joined Yes and after retreating to a farm in Devon to rehearse and write new material, he played his first show with the group at the Lyceum on 7 July 1970 (where the version of "Clap" on The Yes Album was recorded). Howe was pictured with the group on the non-Europe jacket of their second album, Time and a WordTime and a Word
Time and a Word is the second album by progressive rock band Yes, released in mid-1970 in the UK and November 1970 in the US. This was the last Yes album to feature the group's original line-up, as Peter Banks was fired before the album's release....
, which was released in August, although it was Banks who had actually played on the recording.
Beginning with The Yes Album
The Yes Album
The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
, Howe's electric and acoustic guitars, combined with Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
's vocals, Chris Squire
Chris Squire
Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
's bass, and Tony Kaye
Tony Kaye (musician)
Tony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
's keyboards were seen as an essential part of the band's early sound. The addition of Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
after the departure of Tony Kaye for the following album, Fragile
Fragile (Yes album)
Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
, created the classic Yes sound of Anderson-Howe-Squire-Bruford-Wakeman associated with the peak of the band's early achievements. To his already-formidable assortment of electric and acoustic guitar sounds, Howe added a unique prog-rock approach to pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
in the next album, Close to the Edge. His classical along with his penchant for ongoing experimentation, helped produce a playing style unique among rock musicians, while the group as a whole took a position as a leading progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band.
Although the band underwent some personnel changes in the 1970s, Howe, Anderson, and Squire were the constant elements for the entire decade. In early 1980, however, Anderson and Wakeman left the group and were replaced a few weeks later by Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
. This second departure of Rick Wakeman was particularly difficult for Howe, who believed the two produced their best work while they were together. Howe continued with the band until Yes officially split up on 18 April 1981, only to see the band re-form in 1983 with Trevor Rabin
Trevor Rabin
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
on guitar. Over the next few years, Howe contributed to several albums produced by Horn for other artists (including Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
and Propaganda
Propaganda (band)
Propaganda is a German synthpop group, formed in 1982. They were one of the initial roster of acts signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label, between 1984 and 1986, during which they released the critically acclaimed album A Secret Wish....
).
In 1988, Jon Anderson asked Howe, Wakeman, and Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
if they could take part in his next project. Howe contributed several song ideas to the eventual Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
album. The new quartet was virtually the Close To The Edge Yes line-up reformed, leading to minor legal battles over ownership of the name "Yes". Eventually, under pressure from both management and label, they all joined forces with the members of the "official" Yes (which still included Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, plus Tony Kaye
Tony Kaye (musician)
Tony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
, Trevor Rabin
Trevor Rabin
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
, Chris Squire
Chris Squire
Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
and Alan White
Alan White (Yes drummer)
Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
) as a "mega-Yes" lineup to record the album, Union, which was released in 1991. In 1993, Howe performed guitar parts on and co-produced the Symphonic Music of Yes
Symphonic Music of Yes
Symphonic Music of Yes was a 1993 orchestral album covering songs of the progressive rock band Yes. The arrangements were by Dee Palmer . Playing on the album were two then-former Yes members, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Bill Bruford...
album of orchestral arrangements of classic Yes tracks, and then left the band after the Victory Music label left him out of an invitation to participate in the studio sessions that would lead to their next album.
In 1991, he contributed a flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
inspired guitar solo to the epic Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
song Innuendo, which would be featured on the album of the same name
Innuendo (album)
Innuendo is the fourteenth studio album by British rock band Queen. Released in February 1991, it was the final studio album to be released in Freddie Mercury's lifetime and is the last to be composed entirely of new material...
.
Howe rejoined Yes in 1995. Since Keys to Ascension
Keys to Ascension
Keys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
, Howe has again appeared on all the albums recorded by Yes.
"Best Overall Guitarist"
Despite the troubles Yes was experiencing at the time, Howe was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" in Guitar PlayerGuitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
magazine five years in a row (1977–1981) and was inducted into Guitar Player's "Gallery of Greats" in 1981. The only other two guitarists to win the "Best Overall Guitarist" category for the "Gallery Of Greats" are Steve Morse
Steve Morse
Steven J. "Steve" Morse is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his work in the hard rock band Deep Purple since 1994. He began his career to form the unique styled instrumental rock band Dixie Dregs in the 1970. Morse's musical inspiration comes from country, funk, jazz fusion, and...
and Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is an American guitarist. Though he is best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, gospel and country and western music into his recordings...
.
Gibson Guitar Corporation
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
, the maker of Howe's second electric guitar (which he was still playing forty years later), said that Howe "elevated rock guitar into an art form" and "helped define a new style of music known as art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
." In a tribute to Howe and his personal favourite ES-175
Gibson ES-175
The Gibson ES-175 is an electric guitar manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, currently still in production. It is a 24 3/4" scale full hollow body guitar with a trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge...
guitar, Gibson produced a Steve Howe Signature ES-175 in 2002.
Rolling Stone ranked him number sixty-nine on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time in 2003.
Signature songs
The early years of Yes provided two of his best known solo songs - both on early Yes albums.The Yes Album had the first live version of Clap, a heavily syncopated guitar Rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
with roots in Ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
, and Country Blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
. Clap is a song that mutated with subsequent live performances while always retaining some of the distinctive themes. Mood for a Day first appeared as a studio performance on Fragile and later on the triple live album Yessongs
Yessongs
Yessongs is the first live album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. The album is formed of recordings from their supporting world tours for their studio albums, Fragile and Close to the Edge, between February and December 1972...
. Mood for a Day
Mood for a Day
"Mood for a Day" is an instrumental piece by English progressive rock band Yes. It is a classical guitar solo piece written and performed by guitarist Steve Howe. It is featured on the band's fourth studio album, Fragile ....
has its roots in Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
/classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
guitar music.
Asia
In 1981, Howe, King CrimsonKing Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
's John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
, Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
, and Geoff Downes of The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
formed the band Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, but after two popular albums and a few hit singles, Howe left the band over differences with Wetton.
When Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
reformed Asia in 1992, Steve returned to play guitar on Aqua playing on 6 of the album's 13 tracks and co-writing seven with Downes and John Payne
John Payne (singer)
John Payne is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with ASIA Featuring John Payne....
, as well as playing on their Aqua Club tour as a special guest. In 1996 he played on a song called Ginger meant for Arena
Arena (Asia album)
Arena is the sixth album by rock group Asia, released in 1996. The lineup on the disc is Geoffrey Downes, John Payne, Michael Sturgis, Elliott Randall and Aziz Ibrahim.-Track listing:...
, which was released on Archiva Vol. 1
Archiva Vol. 1
Archiva Vol. 1 is a collection of outtakes and previously unreleased tracks by progressive rock band Asia.The band had previously completed work on the album Arena in 1995. When they returned to their studio in 1996 they found that a pipe had burst and had ruined thousands of pounds worth of...
later that year. He also played on two of the songs from Aura
Aura (Asia album)
Aura is an album by the progressive rock band Asia, recorded in 2000 and first released in 2001. Roger Dean created the cover art for this album...
, released in 2001.
Some disagreements have since been reconciled as Wetton embraced sobriety and a new found appreciation for life, and Howe rejoined the other three founding members in a 25th anniversary reunion tour in late 2006. Since that time Asia have released a DVD called Fantasia and also released a new CD of music called Phoenix
Phoenix (Asia album)
Phoenix is a studio album by rock band Asia. It is the first to feature all four original members since 1983's Alpha. The band played songs from the album on their 2008 world tour and are continuing to play some of the new tracks on their current tour with Yes...
in April of '08. In early 2010 the band released their second reunion CD, Omega
Omega (album)
Omega is the fourth studio album from the original lineup of the English rock band Asia, originally released 23 April 2010, and the second studio album after the reunion of all four original members in 2006."Finger on the Trigger" was previously recorded by Wetton and Downes's side band Icon on...
. The four original members of ASIA have now been together longer than during the original incarnation of the early eighties.
GTR
In 1985, Howe formed the supergroup GTRGTR (band)
GTR were a rock band founded in 1985 by former Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. In comparison to the two leaders' earlier work within progressive rock, GTR's work followed more of an Adult Oriented Rock format. The band was short-lived, lasting for two...
with ex-Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
guitarist Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
. Their only album, GTR
GTR (album)
GTR is the 1986 self-titled debut album and sole official studio release from the short-lived supergroup GTR. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single "When the Heart Rules the Mind" reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 single chart. Another single, "The Hunter,"...
, went gold, but Hackett's interest in pursuing solo projects spelled the end of the group. The group also disagreed about how the band's revenues should be split.
Solo work
In October, 1975, Howe released BeginningsBeginnings (Steve Howe album)
Beginnings is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's first solo album. It was released in 1975.The five Yes band members each did a solo album in 1975/6 and then current Yes members Alan White and Patrick Moraz guest on Beginnings, while Howe guested on White's Ramshackled album...
, his first solo album. It featured Yes band members Alan White, Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz
Patrick Moraz
Patrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
and reached number 63 in the US and number 22 in the UK charts.
His second album as a soloist, The Steve Howe Album
The Steve Howe Album
The Steve Howe Album is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's second solo album. It was released in 1979. The album featured current and former Yes band members.-Side one:# "Pennants" – 4:35...
, was released in November, 1979. Howe played alone on half of the tracks, while others again feature White, Bruford and Moraz, along with vocalist Claire Hamill
Claire Hamill
Claire Hamill is a British singer-songwriter.- Biography :Claire Hamill was active in the music business since age 17...
. Since 1991, Howe has released a solo recording almost every year, ranging from acoustic to progressive to a Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
tribute. In 2001 was released Natural Timbre
Natural Timbre
Natural Timbre is an instrumental album released by Steve Howe in 2001. Steve uses only acoustic guitars . While some tracks feature only guitars, others have his son Dylan Howe on drums and Anna Palm on violin....
, exclusively with acoustic guitars. His son Dylan
Dylan Howe
Dylan Lee Howe is a jazz drummer, bandleader, session musician and composer.- Early life :Howe grew up in Hampstead, London, and is the eldest son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe....
, now a respected jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician, played the drums on his 1998 all-instrumental solo release, Quantum Guitar, while Elements, released in 2003, featured both Dylan and Howe's younger son Virgil
Virgil Howe
-Biography:Virgil is the second son of guitarist Steve Howe . Alongside his brother, drummer Dylan Howe, he has played keyboards for a number of his father's projects, including the Steve Howe solo albums The Grand Scheme of Things and Spectrum , as well as in Steve Howe's Remedy...
(keyboards and vocals), as part of a project called Remedy.
Howe's personal web site, Guitar Rondo, was launched in May, 1996. The guitarist takes an active role in the site by conducting auctions for gold albums and selected guitars, and answering questions from fans.
On 24 May 1996 Howe received an honorary Doctorate in Musical Arts (DMA) from Five Towns College
Five Towns College
Five Towns College is a for-profit institution of higher learning located in Dix Hills, Long Island, New York . Founded as a business school in 1972 by Stanley G. Cohen, Ed.D...
in Dix Hills, New York
Dix Hills, New York
Dix Hills is a hamlet Dix Hills is a hamlet Dix Hills is a hamlet (and a census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington on the North Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Dix Hills was named the 19th most affluent U.S. neighborhood by Forbes in 2008.. It is one...
.
In 2007, Howe founded the Steve Howe Trio
Steve Howe Trio
The Steve Howe Trio is an English jazz trio led by the famous guitarist from Yes and Asia, Steve Howe. It was formed in 2007 by Steve, his son Dylan Howe on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ....
, a jazz band completed by his son Dylan on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ.
Personal life
"I'm an atheist, but I believe in spirituality," Howe said in a 2011 interview.Steve Howe and his wife Janet have two sons, Dylan Howe
Dylan Howe
Dylan Lee Howe is a jazz drummer, bandleader, session musician and composer.- Early life :Howe grew up in Hampstead, London, and is the eldest son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe....
and Virgil Howe
Virgil Howe
-Biography:Virgil is the second son of guitarist Steve Howe . Alongside his brother, drummer Dylan Howe, he has played keyboards for a number of his father's projects, including the Steve Howe solo albums The Grand Scheme of Things and Spectrum , as well as in Steve Howe's Remedy...
, and two daughters, Stephanie and Georgia. They also have two daughters-in-law, Jen Dawson
Jen Dawson
Jen Dawson is a British model from Sheffield.- Career :Dawson was discovered in Sheffield by London agency Bookings and subsequently worked for photographers Steven Meisel and David LaChapelle , and for top fashion houses Givenchy and Marc Jacobs...
, married to Virgil, and Zoe Street Howe, married to Dylan.
Influences
Howe's influences are a mix of classical, jazz, country, pop and rock. Some of them are Wes MontgomeryWes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, Speedy West
Speedy West
Wesley Webb West , better known as Speedy West, was an American pedal steel guitarist and record producer. He frequently played with Jimmy Bryant, both in their own duo and as part of the regular Capitol Records backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford and many others...
and
Jimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant was a prominent American session guitarist. He was billed as "The Fastest Guitar in the Country".-Biography:Ivy J. Bryant, Jr. was born in Moultrie, Georgia, the oldest of 12 children...
.
Solo albums
- BeginningsBeginnings (Steve Howe album)Beginnings is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's first solo album. It was released in 1975.The five Yes band members each did a solo album in 1975/6 and then current Yes members Alan White and Patrick Moraz guest on Beginnings, while Howe guested on White's Ramshackled album...
(1975) - The Steve Howe AlbumThe Steve Howe AlbumThe Steve Howe Album is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's second solo album. It was released in 1979. The album featured current and former Yes band members.-Side one:# "Pennants" – 4:35...
(1979) - TurbulenceTurbulence (Steve Howe album)Turbulence is the third album released by Steve Howe. Since 1979, Steve hadn't recorded a solo album, but from this one onward, he'd record them almost annually...
(1991) - The Grand Scheme of ThingsThe Grand Scheme of ThingsThe Grand Scheme of Things is a 1993 solo album by Yes guitarist Steve Howe. The album features seven vocal tracks and nine instrumental tracks using instruments including dobro, steel guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, keyboards, organ, spanish guitar and anvil...
(1993) - Not Necessarily AcousticNot Necessarily AcousticNot Necessarily Acoustic is a live album recorded on Steve Howe's first solo tour and released in 1994.Steve plays alone, and mixes songs from his earlier solo albums, some country and jazz favourites of him, and also some songs from Yes....
(1994) - HomebrewHomebrew (Steve Howe album)Homebrew is an album released by Steve Howe in 1996. It's part of the Homebrew franchise.The album features new songs as well as re-arranged old songs from Steve's career...
(1996) - Quantum GuitarQuantum GuitarQuantum Guitar is an instrumental progressive rock album released by Steve Howe in 1998. Steve uses several different guitars, acoustic and electric.-Track listings:All tracks composed by Steve Howe; except where indicated....
(1998) - Pulling StringsPulling Strings-Track listings:#Sweet Thunder#Diary of a Man Who Vanished#Excerpts From Close to the Edge#Excerpts From Beginnings#Pleasure Stole the Night#Sketches in the Sun#Rare Birds#Windy and Warm#Classical Gas#Excerpts From Turn of the Century#Misty...
(1999) - Portraits of Bob DylanPortraits of Bob Dylan- Musicians :* Steve Howe – guitar, bass, banjo, piano, mandolin, organ, keyboards, lead and backing vocals* Dylan Howe – drums* Geoff Downes – keyboards* Anna Palm – violin* Nathalie Manser – cello* Jon Anderson – lead vocals* Annie Haslam – lead vocals...
(1999) - Homebrew 2Homebrew 2Homebrew 2 is an album by Steve Howe released in 2000 as part of the Homebrew franchise.The album features new songs as well as re-arranged old songs from Steve's career. Steve Howe is the only performer...
(2000) - Natural TimbreNatural TimbreNatural Timbre is an instrumental album released by Steve Howe in 2001. Steve uses only acoustic guitars . While some tracks feature only guitars, others have his son Dylan Howe on drums and Anna Palm on violin....
(2001) - SkylineSkyline (Steve Howe album)Skyline is a solo album by Steve Howe. The music is usually very calm and simple, which is not conventional for Howe. As he said on an interview, "You go through the music; there's something, there's some little thread that carries through them, and that's certainly true with this album, but the...
(2002) - ElementsElements (Steve Howe album)Elements is the thirteenth solo studio album by guitarist Steve Howe.-Track listing:#"Across The Cobblestone" – 4:18#"Bee Strings" – 3:32#"Westwinds" – 4:31#"Where I Belong" – 4:17#"Whiskey Hill" – 2:02#"The Chariot Of Gold" – 3:25...
(2003) - Guitar World (2003)
- SpectrumSpectrum (Steve Howe album)Spectrum is an instrumental album released by Steve Howe in 2005. Howe's band includes his son Dylan on drums and Tony Levin on bass guitar.The album has guitar-based instrumentals, showing many different genres that influence Howe....
(2005) - Remedy Live (2005)
- Homebrew 3 (2005)
- Motif (2008)
- The Haunted MelodyThe Haunted MelodyThe Haunted Melody is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's seventeenth solo album. It was the first with his Steve Howe Trio. Recorded in 2007, it was released in 2008.-Track listing:# Kenny's Sound...
with the Steve Howe Trio (2008) - Travelling with the Steve Howe Trio (2010)
- Homebrew 4 (2010)
- TimeTime (Steve Howe album)-Track listings:*1. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 3:58*2. King's Ransom 4:31*3. Cantata No. 140 3:57*4. Orange 2:43*5. Purification 3:52*6. Rose 3:41*7. The Explorer 5:09*8. Kindred Spirits 5:10*9. Concerto Grosso in D Minor Op. 3 5:24...
(2011)
With The Syndicats (future Bodast)
- The hit song Maybellene, on a 1964 compilation LP On the scene (with The Animals, Georgie Frame, Yardbirds, Mickie Most, Downliners sect,... - Columbia/EMI)
With Bodast
- The Early Years - Steve Howe with Bodast (CD 1988 & 1990 - first LP edit in 1969 (CS))
With Tomorrow
- Tomorrow (Parlophone, february 1968) (rééd. Tomorrow featuring Keith West, 1999)
- 50 Minute Technicolor Dream (RPM 184, 1998)
With Yes
- The Yes AlbumThe Yes AlbumThe Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
(1971) - FragileFragile (Yes album)Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
(1971) - Close to the Edge (1972)
- Tales from Topographic OceansTales from Topographic Oceans-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
(1973) - RelayerRelayer-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
(1974) - Going for the OneGoing for the OneGoing for the One is the eighth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from...
(1977) - TormatoTormatoTormato is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. Issued as the follow-up to 1977's acclaimed Going for the One, Tormato received less than charitable reviews upon release and its virtues are still a matter of debate for Yes fans and critics...
(1978) - DramaDrama (Yes album)Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is the first of two Yes albums without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and...
(1980) - Union (1991)
- Keys to AscensionKeys to AscensionKeys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
(1996) (live and studio tracks) - Keys to Ascension 2Keys to Ascension 2Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
(1997) (live and studio tracks) - Open Your EyesOpen Your Eyes (Yes album)Open Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.-History:Sherwood...
(1997) - The LadderThe Ladder* "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002...
(1999) - MagnificationMagnification (album)Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001. It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra...
(2001) - Fly from HereFly from Here-Reaction from Anderson:In an interview with Rolling Stone, Anderson stated that on hearing the single "We Can Fly" he felt it sounded "a bit dated" and that Horn's production "wasn't as good as I expected"...
(2011)
With Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman HoweAnderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (album)Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is the self-titled album by four alumni of the progressive rock group Yes: Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe.- History :The project began in 1988...
(1989) - An Evening of Yes Music PlusAn Evening of Yes Music PlusAn Evening of Yes Music Plus is a live album by the English progressive rock side project Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe . Released on October 12, 1993, it was recorded at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on September 9, 1989....
(1993) (live album)
With Asia
- AsiaAsia (album)Asia is the debut album by the English rock supergroup Asia, released in 1982.The album reached #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard album charts, and according to Billboard was the best-selling album in the United States for the year 1982...
(1982) - Alpha (1983)
- Aqua (1992)
- Then & Now (1990 compilation, + four unedits)
- Fantasia - Live in Tokyo (2007) (and DVD)
- PhoenixPhoenix (Asia album)Phoenix is a studio album by rock band Asia. It is the first to feature all four original members since 1983's Alpha. The band played songs from the album on their 2008 world tour and are continuing to play some of the new tracks on their current tour with Yes...
(2008) - OmegaOmega (album)Omega is the fourth studio album from the original lineup of the English rock band Asia, originally released 23 April 2010, and the second studio album after the reunion of all four original members in 2006."Finger on the Trigger" was previously recorded by Wetton and Downes's side band Icon on...
(2010) - Asia (2010 remastered, like Super Audio CD)
With Paul Sutin
- Seraphim (1995)
- Voyagers (1995)
Compilations
- Light Walls (2003 - 2CD's compilation from: Seraphim, Voyagers, Quantum Guitar, Portraits of Bob Dylan, and Natural Timbre)
Guest appearances
- Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
- Lou ReedLou Reed (album)Lou Reed is Lou Reed's 1972 debut solo album, released two years after he left The Velvet Underground. The album comprises seven new recordings of then-unreleased Velvet Underground songs, plus three new songs, "Going Down," "Wild Child," and "Berlin" .With increasing interest in the Velvet...
(session playing on most of the album) (1972) - Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
- "Catherine of Aragon", album The Six Wives of Henry VIIIThe Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the debut studio album from the English keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the six wives of Henry...
(1973) - The DregsDixie DregsThe Dixie Dregs are an American band formed in the 1970s. Their mostly instrumental music fuses jazz, southern rock, bluegrass and classical forms in an often unique style.-Formation and early years:...
- "Up in the Air", album Industry StandardIndustry StandardIndustry Standard is a 1982 album by The Dregs. It is their only album featuring vocals and garnered the group their fourth Grammy nomination.-Track listing:All tracks are written by Steve Morse, except where noted.#"Assembly Line" – 4:25...
(1982) - PropagandaPropagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
- "The Murder of Love", album A Secret WishA Secret Wish- Original 1985 vinyl album release :A – WITHIN# "Dream Within A Dream" – 8:04# "The Murder Of Love" – 5:12# "Jewel" – 3:10# "Duel" – 4:43B – WITHOUT# "p:Machinery" [album mix]" – 3:50# "Sorry For Laughing" – 3:25# "Dr...
(1985) - FishFish (singer)Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
- "Time and a Word", album YinYin and Yang (Fish albums)Yin and Yang are the titles of two separate compilation albums by Fish co-released in 1995. They are a retrospective on Fish's four solo albums and four albums with Marillion....
(1995) - Frankie Goes to HollywoodFrankie Goes to HollywoodFrankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome", album Welcome To The PleasuredomeWelcome to the PleasuredomeWelcome to the Pleasuredome was the debut album by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, first released in the UK in October 1984 by ZTT/Island Records. Originally issued as a vinyl double album, it was assured of a UK chart entry at number one due to reported advance sales of over one million...
(1984); "Maximum Joy", album LiverpoolLiverpool (album)Liverpool is Frankie Goes to Hollywood's second album, released in October 1986 . It would be the band's final album of all-new material, and lead singer Holly Johnson would leave the band following the corresponding world tour, followed by a flurry of lawsuits from ZTT.The album was a commercial...
(1986) - QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
- "InnuendoInnuendo (song)"Innuendo" is a 1991 song by the English rock band Queen. It is the opening track on the album of the same name, and was released as the first single from the album. At six and a half minutes, it is one of Queen's longest songs, and their longest ever released as a single, exceeding "Bohemian...
", album InnuendoInnuendo (album)Innuendo is the fourteenth studio album by British rock band Queen. Released in February 1991, it was the final studio album to be released in Freddie Mercury's lifetime and is the last to be composed entirely of new material...
(1991) - Dream Theater - "Starship Trooper", DVD 5 Years in a Livetime5 Years in a Livetime5 Years in a LIVEtime is the second home video release by Dream Theater. The video contains a mix of concert footage, promotional video clips, and behind-the-scenes and interview footage from the five years in between the release of their previous home video, Images and Words: Live in Tokyo, and...
(1998)
Videography
- Classic Rock Legends (2002)
- Careful With That Axe (2004)
- Steve Howe's Remedy Live (2005)
External links
- Steve Howe - Guitar Rondo (official website)
- Discography at Yescography
- Perry, Shawn. The Steve Howe Interview. www.vintagerock.com.
- Asia on Classic Rock Central- 1983 audio interview clips with John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe